Changing the Rules by Catherine Bybee Blog Tour

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee comes the steamy first novel in her new adrenaline-fueled Richter series.

As an employee of MacBain Security and Solutions, Claire Kelly can certainly hold her own. Armed with an impressive set of covert skills, she’s more than prepared to tackle any job that comes her way… except one involving Cooper Lockman.

Cooper and Claire used to work together before his feelings for her sent him packing to Europe for six long years. But now he’s back and determined to ignore the still-smoldering heat that lingers between them.

Their current mission: go undercover together at a California high school to root out the mastermind behind a prostitution ring targeting young girls. The closer they get to the truth and the closer they get to each other, however, the deadlier their task becomes. As Claire and Cooper risk their lives to bring down their target, will their hearts be the final casualties?

 

 

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Audiobook (US)  ~  Paperback (US)
~  Also Available with KindleUnlimited  ~

 

 

Claire collapsed onto the living room sofa the second she walked in the door. Not only had she suffered a headache the entire day, Cooper ran her like a trainer working an Iron Man competitor.

“That sounds like a bad day,” Jax said as she walked around the corner of the kitchen.

“You don’t want to know.”

Claire flung an arm over her eyes to block out the sun.

She heard Jax walk in the room and then exhale as she sat down. “You’re right. I don’t give a crap what happened in school, unless it involved Cooper. What I want is the details of last night after I got out of the car.”

Before Cooper picked them up, Claire and Jax had agreed that Jax would give them a few minutes to have a private conversation. Now Claire regretted that plan.

“The long story, or the short story?” Claire asked.

“Whatever one you want to deliver.”

Claire’s arms slid off her head, and she pushed herself into a sitting position.

“Cooper has a thing for me.”

Jax sat silent, blinked a few times. “Okay, and?”

“What do you mean, ‘okay, and?’”

“Sorry, Claire, but that’s obvious. I think you’d have to be an idiot to not see it. Even the guys on the team see it.”

“What? Are they talking about—”

Jax stopped her with a shake of the head. “Of course not. But you can tell by how they look at the two of you that they know there’s an attraction.”

Claire pointed to her chest. “I’m not doing anything, it’s him.”

“Maybe it’s more him.”

She kept shaking her head. “No, it’s all him. I’m not instigating anything.”

“You flirt with him all the time.”

“I do not,” Claire huffed.

One look from Jax and she rescinded her statement. “Okay, we banter. But it’s always been like that. I have the pool stick, he makes some kind of phallic joke. It’s banter. Not flirting.”

Jax sat back, crossed her arms over her chest. Claire couldn’t believe her best friend was calling her out. “We’re friends. And last night he ruined that by telling me he’s had a thing for me since we met. Told me he left sunny California for dreary London because I was too young and naive to handle him when I first got here.”

Jax narrowed her eyes. “Is that really how he said that?”

Claire’s headache was coming back. “No. He said I was a child.”

“A child?”

Claire stood up from the couch, started for the kitchen. “He kept repeating that I was eighteen back then.”

Jax followed behind. “Which is true.”

Claire yanked open the fridge, pulled out a beer. “Whose side are you on?”

“Yours. Always. But I just don’t see where all the fire is about this. Cooper owns up to the flirting comments and puppy-dog looks he gives you, and you’re pissed because he walked away six years ago.

Like picking a lock, the pieces slid into place and finally started to click. “But he’s my friend.”

“Trying to say you’ve never thought of him as more?”

“No.” Her denial was quick.

Jax started to smile. “You’ve never checked out his ass? The guy can fill out a pair of jeans.”

Some of the anger she’d harbored all day eased. “That’s true.”

“And that smile. When he’s belly laughing he has the tiniest dimples.”

Claire closed her eyes, pictured his smile. She hadn’t noticed the dimples, but now that she thought about it... She opened her eyes to find Jax staring at her.

“Sounds like you have a thing for him,” Claire said.

“Wouldn’t matter if I did, and I don’t, by the way, but it wouldn’t matter. The guy can’t stop looking at you.”

“God, what am I going to do with him?”

“I don’t think you have to do anything. It’s not like he asked you out and you said no and now it’s awkward.”

“You’re right. It’s worse than that.”

“You’re overthinking it.” Jax pushed off the counter. “You know what, let’s gussy up a little and hit a proper happy hour. We’ll talk in German and pretend we don’t speak English and shamelessly flirt.”

Claire abandoned her beer. “Now that is exactly what I need to do and get my mind off of boys.”

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Romance, Mystery
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Someone is targeting high school girls and the MacBain Security group is going to figure it out.

Claire had an atypical high school experience. With her ability to blend in, kill with her bare hands, and outrun pretty much anyone, she makes an excellent operative.

Her roommate, Jax, is also from the same high school and just as lethal. She is spunky and gets to also go undercover at a different high school.

While Claire and Jax get to head back to high school, Cooper is now back from the UK and is going back as a track coach. Cooper left abruptly several years ago and coming back, while it's what he wants, tempts him again.

Several undercover operations are happening all at once and discovering who is behind all of these kidnappings is key to helping save so many more. It will take the wits of everyone, the alpha protection of Cooper, and for everyone to work together.

I really enjoyed this book. The romance didn't overpower the mystery and I thought that the story was fairly well developed. I did want to know a little more about Jax and Claire's school, but the hints kept you from being completely in the dark.

I can't wait for the next book!


Mary – ☆☆☆☆
As part of the team of MacBain Security and Solutions, Claire Kelly and the team has a new assignment. They are going undercover as high school students to bring down a ring targeting young girls. One of those team members is Cooper Lockman.

Cooper used to be part of the team until he was sent to the UK to work. Now six years later, he is back and Claire doesn't know how to deal with the feelings she is feeling. As Claire and Jax are pretending to be students, Cooper is pretending to be a teacher/coach. This case will work out as long as people don't find out who they are.

As Claire and Jax get close to some of the students, hoping they can find out who is behind the missing girls. Cooper is a shop teacher and assistant track coach. Watching Claire run track is something that he isn't sure he can bear. Claire has to remind herself to dial down her running, she doesn't want to show all her skills and have everyone question who she really is.

Can Cooper keep Claire safe if things go wrong? Is there a chance for a future for Cooper and Claire after this case? Will they find out who is running the ring before anyone else goes missing?

I really liked this story, it is a romantic suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. I was so drawn to this story that I finished it in one day. The hero is the perfect alpha male, he is protective and strong. The heroine is strong and independent, and they are the perfect couple. This is a first for me from this author and I can't wait for more in this series.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first book in a new series – but any Bybee fan will recognise the name Richter from previous series, and Sasha in particular from the First Wives series. I loved catching up with her, and the lead in this book, Claire, also played a small but important role in Say It Again.

This is a good romantic suspense. The setting of a crime ring within a group of schools, both public and private – investigated by MacBain Security partly because Neil is concerned for his daughter – is engaging and I enjoyed how it played out with Claire and Jax acting as teens and newly returned Cooper as a substitute teacher.

Cooper first fell for Claire when she was freed from her life at Richter's. But she was really too young for him and he and Neil agreed he better leave. Six years later he is back, and he still feels as strongly as ever. Rather sweetly, I don't think Claire had understood this until he explains, and it is rather sweet how he is prepared to be honest with her – and she is surprised and flattered. It was really cutely written and fitted with the fact that she was playing a schoolgirl at the time.

Their brief trip to see a victim, gives her the chance to recover her adult persona and explore the possibility of falling for her much-loved friend. I liked the slow burn... poor Cooper, after waiting six years, he knew he had finally a chance at love.

Very happy that there is a new series from the talented Catherine Bybee; I will definitely be looking out for the next book's release.

 

 

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author CATHERINE BYBEE has written twenty-seven books that have collectively sold more than three million copies and have been translated into twelve languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Not Quite series, the Weekday Brides series, the Most Likely To series, and the First Wives series.

Connect with Catherine

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Instagram  ~  Website  ~  Goodreads
Facebook Group: Catherine Bybee's Chatty Cathy's

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Hosted by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Changing the Rules (Richter #1) by Catherine Bybee to read and review for this tour.